ace of the
rocks that the cliff was driven back to the innermost parts of the
original cave. Great pieces of granite lay about in disorder,
showing where the roof of the cavern had fallen in; and on one of
these boulders we sat until we were weary, looking out to the
water's edge, in expectation of seeing some seals appear.

Skaill Bay was our favourite spot for the sealing, and at the
proper season the seals were generally plentiful and not timid.
Indeed, so bold were they sometimes, that on a Sabbath morning,
when the bell of Sandwick Church, hard by, had been ringing for
divine service, I have seen the animals collect in numbers on the
beach to listen to the strange sound, which held them so fixed and
charmed, that it required an effort to startle them away. Now,
however, the seals seemed to have deserted the place, and I was not
sorry when Tom Kinlay proposed that we should give up our search
for them and return home.

Just as we were moving away I chanced to look along the shoreline,
and at some distance from where we stood I detected a moving object
in the water, and presently saw what I took to be three seals
basking on a bank of sand. Now was our weariness changed to eager
desire, and we at once prepared for some good sport.

Leaving our dead falcon on a slab of rock, we quietly distributed
ourselves. Willie Hercus approached the seals under cover of a
large boulder. I crept along by the foot of the cliffs with Selta,
intending to get down to the water's edge, and so work back again
to cut off the retreat of the seals; while Kinlay and Rosson did
the same on the other side.

We gradually and silently closed round our game. Our approach was,
however, somewhat marred by an alarm given by a seagull flying over
the seals. The largest animal turned round towards the sea. Its
mates took the signal and, with it, made for the water.

I gave a word to the dog, and Selta ran forward to meet the middle
seal, which she kept at bay as she might have kept a sheep, barking
in its face and always getting between it and the water. Tom and
Robbie ran after one of the others, while the largest seal, which I
had marked as my own prize, managed to escape me and plunge into
the sea. I then turned to encounter the seal that the dog and
Willie Hercus had arrested. Willie, having no stick or harpoon, was
throwing large stones at the animal, which seemed to pay little
attention to them, but kept its large, beautiful eyes fixed upo